There are a number of task and time management tools available to assist in tracking work to be completed according particular due dates. Commonly, such tools, such as Microsoft Outlook™ provide for the entry of tasks to be done, and due dates, start dates, and estimates hours required to complete the task by the due date. However, such tools do not analyze the hours, or determine the number of hours that must be worked per day, to meet deadlines or to determine whether or not deadlines may be met, and/or whether and how much overtime must be worked to meet pending deadlines, as well as to also schedule past due tasks. As a result, people often over-commit themselves to more than they can complete. Managers have difficulty determining who they can give new work to because it is difficult to determine who has the most open schedule for new work. Clients may want to know when a new job can be completed by, but often such requests take substantial time to respond to because workloads among a number of different people must be ascertained. Vacations may be difficult to plan without spending substantial time reviewing all work that must be completed before a vacation can be taken. Such tools also do not permit one to gain a sense of how flexible a schedule may be.
Additionally, tasks often need to be scheduled based on priority rather than, or in addition to, a date deadline. Current systems do not allow for such scheduling.
Therefore, what is needed is a method and system for analyzing hours and determining hours that must be worked per day, given particular past and pending due dates and, if appropriate, start dates, to assist people in better managing, organizing, and planning their time.